HICKORY (LY2742)

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State: PA
County: Carbon
Quad: Hickory Run
Location: N 41° 03.745' W075° 40.888'
Elevation: 1825 ft.
Designation: HICKORY 1958
Setting: Square Concrete Monument
Type: Triangulation Station
Year: 1958
Established By: NGS
Recovered: 31 August 2006

Initially drawn to this area by a USGS description of a PA Turnpike Commission disk supposedly located on one of the nearby underpasses, we noticed HICKORY just a few miles to the north and decided it would make a nice morning hike and hunt. As has been typical this Summer, we had to push back our trip for four days waiting for the rain to stop. Today we were able to enjoy a few hours of dry weather (and even some weak sunshine!).

This area, at least judging by the to-reach, has changed little since 1958. The directions were easy to follow and we found that the roads in the park matched the description quite well. We took the long, slow drive along the gravel road toward the boulder field, then turned toward the Fourth Run Trail. Unfortunately, we were not able to drive as far as the 1958 crew had; a locked gate blocked our way less than a quarter-mile along the road to Fourth Run Trail. We parked at the gate and hiked the remaining distance north and then west along the woods road to the point at which the road makes a turn again to the north, just a few hundred yards east of the Turnpike. This is where we expected to find some sign of the dim track road (and, less likely, the blazed tree), but we found nothing. A bushwhack was required over the remaining 0.4 miles or so to the station.

Arriving at the hilltop, we were discouraged by the thick growth of ferns and other greenery. But we needn't have worried about finding the station. I immediately stubbed my toe on a short metal stake that, apparently, now serves as a witness marker for the station just a foot away. (The official witness post mentioned in the station description is gone, so we marked the short stake with pink flagging tape to indicate the nearby station.)

We split up to find the reference marks. Rich spotted RM2 immediately, while locating RM1 required measuring tape and compass and trowel. After documenting everything with photographs we hiked back to the woods road by a slightly different route, but still saw no sign of the dim track road.

A report on the condition of the station and both reference marks was submitted to NGS, along with the following recovery note:

The station mark and both reference marks were recovered in good condition. The 18-inch birch tree and standard metal witness post were not found. There is a one-foot high metal stake approximately one foot northwest of the station.

The blazed tree and dim track road no longer exist. It is necessary to hike the final 0.37 miles to the station.

Autonomous (non-corrected) handheld GPS coordinates for RM 1 are 41 03 45.4(N) 075 40 53.3(W). Autonomous (non-corrected) handheld GPS coordinates for RM 2 are 41 03 44.9(N) 075 40 52.6(W).

Zhanna

NGS Official Description, 1958 (see datasheet for recent updates) :

DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1958 (JMR) THE STATION IS LOCATED ABOUT 5-1/2 MILES EAST OF WHITE HAVEN, ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BLAKESLEE CORNERS AND ABOUT 1-1/2 MILES SOUTH OF STATE HIGHWAY 940 AND IS ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF A TIMBER COVERED HILL. IT IS AT THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE HICKORY RUN STATE PARK AND IS ON STATE PARK PROPERTY. IT IS 14 FEET NORTH OF AN 18-INCH BIRCH TREE AND 4 FEET NORTH OF A STANDARD METAL WITNESS POST. TO REACH THE STATION FROM THE EAST END OF THE BRIDGE ACROSS THE LEHIGH RIVER ON STATE HIGHWAY 940 IN WHITE HAVEN, GO EAST ON STATE HIGHWAY 940 FOR 0.05 MILE TO THE JUNCTION OF ROUTE 13018 AND STATE HIGHWAY 940. TURN RIGHT ON ROUTE 13018 AND GO SOUTH AS PER SIGN HICKORY RUN PARK 5 FOR 1.86 MILES TO A T-ROAD INTERSECTION ON THE LEFT. CONTINUE SOUTHEAST ON ROUTE 13018 FOR 3.43 MILES TO THE HICKORY RUN STATE PARK OFFICE ON THE RIGHT. CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD, EAST, ON THE MACADAM ROAD FOR 0.58 MILE TO A GRAVELED ROAD ON THE LEFT. TURN LEFT AND GO NORTH ON THE GRAVELED ROAD AS PER SIGN BOULDER FIELD FOR 0.42 MILE TO A Y-FORK. TAKE THE LEFT FORK, THE MAIN TRAVELED ROAD, AND GO 2.13 MILES TO THE PENNSYLVANIA TURN PIKE UNDERPASS, CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE MAIN TRAVELED ROAD FOR 0.6 MILE TO A CROSSROAD AND SIGN FOURTH RUN SHELTER. TURN LEFT AND GO NORTH ON A GRAVELED ROAD AS PER SIGN FOURTH RUN SHELTER FOR 0.46 MILE TO THE SHELTER ON THE RIGHT, CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE MAIN TRAVELED ROAD FOR 0.93 MILE TO A TRIANGULAR BLAZED TREE AND A DIM TRACK ROAD ON THE RIGHT. TURN RIGHT AND FOLLOW THE TRACK ROAD THROUGH THE WOODS FOR 0.37 MILE TO THE TOP OF THE HILL AND THE STATION. A 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE IS REQUIRED TO DRIVE THE LAST 0.37 MILE TO THE STATION. THE STATION MARK, A STANDARD DISK STAMPED HICKORY 1958, IS SET IN THE TOP OF A SQUARE CONCRETE MONUMENT PROJECTING ABOUT 2 INCHES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. REFERENCE MARK 1, A STANDARD DISK STAMPED HICKORY NO 1 1958, IS SET IN A DRILL HOLE IN TOP OF A BOULDER PROJECTING ABOUT 3 INCHES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. REFERENCE MARK 2, A STANDARD DISK STAMPED HICKORY NO 2 1958, IS SET IN A DRILL HOLE IN TOP OF A BOULDER PROJECTING ABOUT 6 INCHES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. THE MICRO WAVE TOWER MAY BE USED AS AN AZIMUTH MARK WITH SOME CLEARING OF SMALL TREES. HEIGHT OF LIGHT ABOVE STATION MARK 27 METERS.